Ye Junchi dropped by once in awhile to check on Ji Yuan, but fortunately he did not stop by tonight.
Ji Yuan did not know where his sharp dagger went, and he could not find any other handheld tools for self-defense.
Thinking about Systemâs guarantee, he walked out of the room with nothing in his hands and an unconditional trust in Systemâs words.
There were not many people in the palace, and though he would occasionally stumble upon soldiers on patrol, they did not inquire much.
After a few deceiving words, Ji Yuan made it to the back door he had found a few days ago.
Ji Yuan looked at the distant dark mountain. The miasma at night was indeed thicker at the foot of the mountain compared to the very top.
Even the piece of sky above the mountain looked duller than other places.
Ji Yuan swallowed.
Compared to the mountain, he prefered to stay in the palace where the food and drink were delicious and he could sleep whenever he wanted.
Repeatedly preparing himself, Ji Yuan started to move out.
He deliberately walked at a very slow pace, so it took a long time before he arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Shivering, plus feeling sorrowful, Ji Yuan said, âSystem, I think I am going to be pressed down by this mountain for five hundred years.â
[T/N: Ji Yuan was referring to the legend âJourney to the Westâ where the Monkey King was being punished by Buddha to live under a mountain for five hundred years.].
System: âYou think too much, no Monk Sanzang will come to save you. If you really get pressed down into the mountain, then it will be forever and you wonât be able to reincarnate.â
Ji Yuan : ââŠplease speak nicely.â
He gave a shudder then slowly followed a small path into the woods, following Systemâs advice to go west.
The gloomy forest was shrouded in a dead silence and the narrow trails started to merge together the deeper he went.
Dense leaves and branches shrouded the sky above him. Not sure if there were a lot of demons and ghosts hidden in the shadows, could put a heavy pressure on peopleâs hearts.
In the mountain, the miasma lessened and turned a bit lighter.
Occasionally when Ji Yuan looked up, he could see the cold, bright moon in the sky embedded in the curtain of dark skies.
The moonlight, being blanketed by a faint mist of miasma, suddenly emitted a ghostly feeling.
Ji Yuanâs scalp started to feel numb, and he poked System while trembling, â2333, I am scaredâŠâ
System: âYou still can laugh at this moment, it seems like you are not afraid. Good luck.â
Ji Yuan furiously replied, âWho laughed!? I was calling your serial number!â
[T/N : The joke refer to forum post in China. This way to laugh requires typing out at least one 2, then at least two 3s to follow, depending on how funny the thing is. 233 might be âhahaâ and 23333333 would be âhahahahahahha.â].
System went silent for a moment then said, âDonât be afraid, Iâll help you.â
Pausing a bit, System started chanting, âProsperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, freedom, equalityâŠ(China Socialist core values)â
âI thank your whole family, ah!â
As they walked while exchanging nonsense, Ji Yuan felt slightly relieved.
He squeezed out his fuzzy knowledge on philosophy to have a fierce debate with System on materialism and idealism, unable to stop himself from basking in the radiance of materialism.
What demons and ghosts? It was all fake. Fake!
His self-hypnotism was disillusioned by the sound of Systemâs urgent reminder, âRun towards the left, something is coming!â
Following Systemâs warning was a fishy stench.
Ji Yuan hurriedly dodged, feeling remorseful for betraying his philosophy.
Systemâs tone did not return to its fierce one like in the debate.
âEscape from this disaster first, then you can continue your remorse if you survive. Hide in the bushes and make a roll to the left.â
Ji Yuan did not clearly see what was attacking him but he didnât dare to take the time to check it out.
He immediately acted the moment he heard Systemâs instructions and his lean body disappeared into the bushes without a trace.
He was about to implement the second part of the instruction, when he felt that he had stepped on something soft and slippery.
A burst of pain suddenly pricked his ankle.
His body stiffened a bit, and Ji Yuan could faintly guess what had happened.
Not daring to pause long, he ran towards the next bush. His legs abruptly went soft and he fell on the ground, kneeling, with a thump.
Now his entire body has went stiff and unable to move.
System bitterly lamented, âYou were bitten by a poisonous snake.â
ââŠI know.â
âNow you have to face the outcome of being eaten by demonic creatures. Donât be afraid, if you donât OOC I wonât destroy your soul. You can reincarnate.â
ââŠthanks, ah.â
There was no expression on Ji Yuanâs face.
If bad luck could be turned into something solid, he would be buried deep in it right now.
The creature that was chasing him slowly parted the bushes and came towards him.
Listening to the ground trembleâcaused by heavy footstepsâJi Yuan wrinkled his brows.
He suspected that he might be being pursued by a T-rex.
System nicely said, âAfter all, being eaten is quite memorable. Donât you want to see what kind of creature it is? Oh, you canât move your head now right, let me describe it for you.â
âThis creature has a body that looks like a bearâs, and its claws are very sharp. But it has the head of a crow, so it looks very funny. Then its eyeballs are scarlet red in color, enough to give anyone a chill up their back. Itâs beak is very sharp, just like your dagger; so if it stabbed right at your heart, you will be able to take your last breath. But if that old thing is picky, then it wonât be easy to handleâŠâ
Ji Yuan was horrified thinking about the sharp bird beak poking holes in him. Unable to bear it anymore he interrupted Systemâs words, âYou talk too much! Shut up!â
System went quiet.
The stench was getting closer, causing Ji Yuan to shake involuntarily.
He was vaguely aware of the smell and felt more miserable by the second.
It was the smell of a decomposing corpses along with some unknown fishy smell.
He did not know if these big bros were picky eaters or not, or if they abstained from raw meat or live meat.
The footsteps were getting closer, each step causing the ground to tremble, and it seemed like they did not have any plans to stop.
Most probably, it wanted to trample him death then drag him back to its nest to slowly savor him.
Just when Ji Yuan was about to collapse from nervousness, System suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, âIncoming!â
Not a moment passed after System had spoken when Ji Yuan heard an earth-shaking shriek above his head.
Then there was a sound of something sharp pierced through flesh, a clear sound to the ear.
After that, with a âpengâ sound, something heavy fell next to Ji Yuan.
The smell of fishy blood quickly permeated the air, and a bit of the warm liquid splashed on his face.
Ji Yuan didnât dare glance out the corner of his eyes, he used his full efforts to maintain his gaze forward.
That person was still the person he was familiar with, but the look on his face was unfamiliar.
It was super scary.
Ye Junchi, dressed in black, slowly pushed away some branches as he approached.
His usual smile had disappeared, leaving a face devoid of warmth. His usually narrow, lazy, peach-blossom eyes no longer gave off any feelings of gentleness.
As if he had walked out of a blizzard, Ye Junchi was covered by an eerie, icy atmosphere.
Ji Yuan swallowed. He felt like he needed a cotton-padded jacket.
The next moment, he heard that manâs deep voice. âFilthy things with no eyes, daring to touch people regardless of status.â
Inside, Ji Yuan was crying but his expression on the outside was like a thousand years of frost.
He watched with a calm and collected manner as Ye Junchi moved in front of him.
Seeing his sorry figure, Ye Junchi laughed, though his smile did not reach his eyes.
âTonightâs game of hide-and-seek, did Yuan-er have fun?â
[T/N : -er is an endearment term.].
Ji Yuan got goosebumps from being called that nickname and he stammered weakly, ââŠdevil, who permitted you to call me Yuan-er?â
Readily accepting the protest, Ye Junchi said, âAlright then, Ah Yuan. You said this dagger can cut through iron like mud. Itâs really the truth. A gentle turn can behead this creature. The cut was smooth to the boneâdo you want to take a look?â
âShut up!â
Ye Junchi smiled and looked at Ji Yuanâs purple-colored lips. He knew Ji Yuan was poisoned.
His eyes slowly swept over Ji Yuan and saw there were two small holes on his ankle.
Under Ji Yuanâs stunned gaze, Ye Junchi immediately leaned over and gently lifted Ji Yuanâs calf, placing his lips over the bite.
Having a pair of soft and gentle lips affixed to his ankle, Ji Yuanâs sense of touch inexplicably became extremely clear.
Ji Yuan was so shocked even his accent changed.
âSystem, h-he, he⊠he, gwahâŠâ
[T/N : Ji Yuan was stuttering on the word âhe,â not to be mistaken as laughing. Gwah is just some random intelligible noise.].
System: âHelping you to suck out the poison.â
âI know⊠but why did he do that, ah?!â
âProbably because he saw you looking like youâre half-deadâŠâ
Black, poisoned blood was being sucked and spat out by Ye Junchi while Ji Yuan stared at his side profile with a half-dead face.
Gentle and handsome, any average person would probably be completely seduced.
However, Ji Yuan was not an average person.
In his original world, before he gave up fighting for inheritance from his loose father, he was someone with a basic IQ that was above average.
Every day, he faced a group of half brothers and sisters who appeared sincere and gentle even though he knew they wanted to kill him.
He was cheated a few times, but after he learned his lessons with blood, he gradually became able to identify who was giving a fake smile.
Ye Junchi was smiling at him, yet the smile never reached his eyes.
His eyes were cold, not something a counterfeit like him could compare to.
Ji Yuan couldnât help but sigh.
After Ye Junchi finished sucking out the poisonous blood, he slowly stood and took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
âAh Yuan, why is it your breasts⊠seem bigger?â
Ji Yuanâs eyebrows twitched. A slap flew without hesitation but, naturally, it was cut off halfway.
Ji Yuan gnashed his teeth. He looked as though he wanted to spew a mouthful of blood at Ye Junchiâs face.
âShameless loafer!â
In the human world, the three words âYe Jun Chiâ could have various effects.
The first was making children cry, and the second was scaring children until they were too afraid to cry.
There was a third effect that could not be forgotten.
It was quite an encouragement tooâthat was making cultivators grind their teeth and harshly criticize the word âdevilâ.
It could then encourage them to eat more rice so they could earnestly practice their cultivation for the sake of âkilling the devilâ.
Though it could be seen that Ye Junchiâs temper was not as horrifying as it was from rumor, and his moves not earth-shaking, but he was no Buddha.
The ice beauty had been repeatedly disobedient to him. She had even climbed up the mountain in the middle of the night seeking death.
Ye Junchiâs unmoving face meant he was really angry.
Then he unexpectedly grinned, leaning over to hold Ji Yuan in his arms.
The original owner was able to cross-dress successfully, thanks to his slender body.
Even when Ye Junchi held him in his arms, he did not doubt anything, he simply felt the need to feed Ji Yuan with more meat to fatten him up, as his bones were too sharp.
Ji Yuan quivered when he saw Ye Junchiâs smile.
Struggling bitterly, he looked for System, âHe gwahâŠ.â
System began, âSpeak human language.â
âI said, âWhat the hell is he doing? Suddenly breaking into a smile and making me get chills all over my body?ââ
Ji Yuan suddenly remembered something after his sad words.
He quickly asked, âWhat about the task?â
âIt was a success, just have to wait for the next one.â
Having no alternative but to stop thinking about the tasks and a night of torment, Ji Yuan started to feel sleepy.
Only, he really did not dare to sleep, nesting in the arms of someone with an unknown limit.
The mountain was not far from the palace and Ye Junchi brought Ji Yuan back, riding the wind.
In time, less than half the stick an incense would burn, they returned to the court where Ji Yuan usually stayed.
Ye Junchi threw Ji Yuan on the bed when they entered the room.
Ji Yuan was very drowsy; his eyes could not be opened when he felt the warm embrace of the bed.
It was currently summer so Ji Yuan was not wearing much clothing. His clothes were torn by the branches from when he ran inside the forest.
There had not been time to think about it earlier, but under the faint candle light, his delicate white skin was revealed.
Just like a good warm jade, it looked comfortable and was not bad when touched.
His thin, slender waist could be vaguely seen to have a curve under the tattered clothing.
It was not a womanâs usual provoking delicateness, but there were a few more lines, with a smoothness that had a beauty to it.
As for his big and strange chestâŠ
Ye Junchi muttered to himself irresolutely. He did not vulgarly try to cop a feel but just gave a creepy laugh.
Rubbing Ji Yuanâs hair, who still wore some broken leaves, he softly said, âI donât have the patience to play with you anymore.â
System, who was secretly observing the situation, shuddered.